Study: Exercise ‘snacking’ helps control blood sugar

BRISTOL, England — New research published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, found that brief bursts of intense exercise before meals — termed exercise "snacking" by the study authors — helps control blood sugar in people with insulin resistance more effectively than one daily 30-minute session of moderate exercise.

"The notion of doing small amounts of interval exercise before meals is a unique and very important feature of this study," stated Monique Francois, co-author of the study. "Sustained hyperglycaemia following meals is an important feature of insulin resistance. Reducing these post-meal spikes is important for reducing the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and its associated complications," she said. "Dosing these small amounts of high intensity exercise before meals, particularly breakfast and dinner, may be a more time efficient way to get exercise into people’s day, rather than devoting a large chunk of the day."

The participants completed three separate exercise interventions in random order. Measures were recorded across 3 days with exercise performed on the middle day, as either: (1) traditional continuous exercise (CONT), comprising one 30-minute moderate-intensity (60% of maximal heart rate) session of incline walking before dinner (evening meal) only; (2) exercise snacking (ES), consisting of 6 one-minute intense (90% maximal heart rate) incline walking intervals finishing 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch and dinner, with one minute slow walking recovery time after each minute of intense exercise; or composite exercise snacking (CES), encompassing 6 one-minute intervals alternating between walking and resistance-based exercise, with a one-minute slow walking recovery minute after each minute of exercise, again finishing 30 minutes before breakfast lunch and dinner. ES and CONT were matched for energy usage, whereas ES and CES were matched for time, but CES provided a brief workout for all of the body’s major muscle groups across the day. Meal timing and composition were the same for all three exercise interventions and monitored using diet records, daily verbal discussion and dietary analysis software.

Exercise ‘snacking,’ whether before meals or not, provides breaks in sedentary time, and thus may be important for public health. In this study, 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise did not improve blood-sugar control, whereas distributing the same volume of exercise as three brief pre-meal HIT ‘exercise snacks’ resulted in a mean 12% reduction in the average post-meal glucose level, the mean across the three meals, an effect that was also sustained across the subsequent day. Walking-based ES and combined-exercise CES snacks improved blood-sugar control similarly, and both forms of exercise involved similar levels of exertion.

While acknowledging that further work is required to determine the clinical significance of their study, the authors reported their work adds to the recent interest in ‘accumulating physical activity’ as brief, repetitive bouts of intense exercise — as opposed to a single, prolonged, continuous exercise session — to prevent cardiometabolic disease. Many international guidelines prescribe exercise to maintain health — for example 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 times a week — but such regimens still leave many people with prolonged sedentary time or inactivity, which has already been highlighted in previous research as harmful to health. Previous research also has shown more frequent breaks in sedentary time are beneficial for waist circumference, blood-glucose control and other metabolic parameters.

"We found exercise snacking to be a novel and effective approach to improve blood=sugar control in individuals with insulin resistance," Francois said. "Brief, intense interval exercise bouts undertaken immediately before breakfast, lunch and dinner had a greater impact on post-meal and subsequent 24-hour glucose concentrations than did a single bout of moderate, continuous exercise undertaken before an evening meal. The practical implications of our findings are that, for individuals who are insulin resistant and who experience marked post-meal increases in blood glucose, both the timing and the intensity of exercise should be considered for optimising glucose control."

The study used a crossover design, meaning that each participant acts as their own control, and questions can be answered with a much smaller number of participants. Nine individuals (i.e., two women, seven men) were recruited. All had blood test results showing insulin resistance, were not on cardiovascular or diabetic medication, were ages 18 years to 55 years (i.e., mean age of 48 years) and had a mean BMI of 36 kg/m2. They included two newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetics only detected as part of the screening.

Cape Cod adds two savory varieties

HYANNIS, Mass. — Cape Cod brand is adding two new cheese flavors to its product lineup. Consumers will now be able to find Buffalo Cheddar Waffle Cut and 40% Less Fat Aged White Cheddar & Sour Cream on store shelves. The varieties bring a cheese flavor that incorporates the classic Cape Cod taste, the company said.

“At Cape Cod we’re always looking for enticing new flavor combinations that complement the hearty texture of our kettle-cooked chips,” said Faith Atwood, marketing manager, Cape Cod Potato Chips. “After listening to consumer feedback and evaluating food trends, we worked hard to develop new flavors that deliver the full taste and crunch that make our chips distinct, while continuing to deliver ‘on trend’ flavors in the ever-changing snack food category.”

The chips carry a retail price of $3.79 and can be found at major retailers.

Ansell expands LifeStyles Skyn Condom Collection

ISELIN, N.J. — Ansell on Monday announced the expansion of its LifeStyles Skyn Condom Collection with the introduction of Skyn Intense Feel, which features deep studs in a unique wave-like pattern.

“We have been so thrilled with the reception of Skyn to the marketplace and the overwhelmingly positive consumer feedback we have received from our customers,” stated Carol Carrozza, VP sales and marketing, North America for Ansell. “Research has shown that users prefer the feel of Skyn over latex, as evidenced with a 97% satisfaction rate in consumer trials, and this is certainly reflected in the climbing sales for this premium product line.”

LifeStyles Skyn was one of the first clinically approved polyisoprene condoms. The Skyn portfolio now includes Skyn Original, Skyn Large, Skyn Extra Lubricated, Skyn Intense Feel and the Skyn Selection, a variety pack featuring the Original, Extra Lubricated and Intense Feel designs.

RELATED NEWS

Sam’s Club senior vice president and GMM of consumable and health and wellness will be retiring at the end of the fiscal year, a Sam’s Club spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Turner-Mitchael is a 26-year veteran of the company, having joined Walmart in 1992 as a pharmacist in Lubbock, Texas.

Grocery retailer and wholesaler Supervalu has shared the results from its fiscal 2018 third-quarter, which included a boon to its wholesale business in the form of its Unified Grocers acquisition, even as retail sales declined. The Minneapolis-based company’s total continuing operations saw net sales of $3.94 billion — up 31% from $3 billion in the same period last year.

RLA Collective, an OTC/healthcare-focused integrated marketing agency, made the 2018 Innovation SABRE Awards shortlist for three programs in digital/marketing: “Best in Digital Marketing/Advertising” for an integrated media campaign with Vetoquinol U.S.A; “Best Use of Video Networks” utilizing Facebook LIVE to showcase pet care advice from Tomlyn's resident veterinarians; and “Best in Brand Narratives” for a unique video testimonial influencer campaign, “VSL#3: The Journey Back," (featured above) the company announced last week.

Petrics, a pet health technology company, is looking to make tracking weight, activity levels and rest periods a whole lot easier for pet owners. By launching the Smart Pet Bed, Activity Tracker, pet Health and Nutrition App, the Las Vegas-based company is aiming to help those four-legged family members achieve optimal weight ranges.

Forgotten Password

Registration complete

REGISTER

USERNAME *

Spaces are allowed; punctuation is not allowed except for periods, hyphens, and underscores.

E-MAIL ADDRESS *

A valid e-mail address. All e-mails from the system will be sent to this address. The e-mail address is not made public and will only be used if you wish to receive a new password or wish to receive certain news or notifications by e-mail.

Password *

Confirm Password *

Please choose a password for your account; it must be 8 - 30 characters. .

First Name *

Last Name *

Company Name *

Job Title *

ZIP *

Are you a *

Retailer or Healthcare professional

Non-Retailer

How many stores do you operate?: *

Which best describes the business/industry you work in?: *

Which best describes your job title?: *

Please select the newsletters you would like to subscribe to

DSN A.M.
Daily news stories covering the retail drug industry

Breaking News
First-to-the-market with developing stories in the industry